Tampa Bay Rays Sign Former Los Angeles Angels Pitcher Andrew Wantz to Minor League Deal

Andrew Wantz may be recovering from an elbow injury that limited him in 2024, but the Tampa Bay Rays were still willing to take a flier on the once-promising Los Angeles Angels righty.

Sep 30, 2023; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Andrew Wantz (60) pitches during the first inning against the Oakland Athletics at Angel Stadium. | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Rays have signed right-handed pitcher Andrew Wantz to a minor league contract, according to the team’s official transaction log.

Wantz spent the previous seven years in the Los Angeles Angels' organization. He underwent non-Tommy John elbow surgery last July, though, and elected free agency in November after getting outrighted to Triple-A in October.

It remains to be seen if Wantz is healthy enough to return to the mound, but his deal presumably includes an invitation to the Rays' major league Spring Training camp in Port Charlotte, Florida, next month.

Wantz made just one appearance at the MLB level in 2024, issuing one walk and one solo home run while striking out three batters in 1.1 innings pitched. Down in Triple-A, he went 1-2 with a 6.17 ERA and 1.629 WHIP across seven outings, six of which were starts.

The Angels plucked Wantz out of UNC Greensboro back in the seventh round of the 2018 MLB Draft. He slowly worked his way through their farm system before posting a 1.78 ERA in Triple-A in 2021, earning him his first promotion to the big leagues.

Wantz went 1-0 with a 4.94 ERA, 1.244 WHIP, 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.0 WAR in 21 relief appearances during his rookie year. He was elevated into a larger role in 2022, taking the mound 42 times, before making 27 appearances in 2023.

Between 2022 and 2023, Wantz posted a 4-1 record with a 3.51 ERA, 1.126 WHIP, 85 strikeouts and a 1.2 WAR in 69 games, opening four and closing 12.

The Rays could use an arm like that, despite already boasting the sixth-best bullpen ERA in the American League in 2024 at 3.73. Wantz can serve as an opener and long reliever, and Tampa Bay may need some of those if their rotation gets gutted by injuries for the third season in a row.

Of course, Wantz's health remains a question mark. More light will surely be shined on his situation by the time Spring Training rolls around, which is only a few weeks away.

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